io8 ODD HOURS WITH NATURE 



festly a poor place in which to bring up a family, 

 and the Local Government Board would condemn 

 it on the score of air space alone. Was I to be 

 reckoned among the bad landlords? Never. And 

 so the box was built, six inches by six every 

 way, with a nice slit at the right upper corner 

 in order that the opening might be placed as near 

 the opening of the hole as might be, and all 

 possibility of mistake avoided. 



The placing of the box was a delicate business. 

 It had to be done between visits, and done it was 

 in the most masterly style of philanthropy. A 

 piece of wood was driven into the hole while the 

 tenants were away, blocking it, and to the wood 

 the box was screwed. It was so bestowed that 

 the slit was in the angle formed by box and wall 

 and within half an inch of the place where the 

 hole ought to be. 



Then the drama began. The proud husband 

 flew on to the nearest rose-tree, beak laden witlh 

 nesting stuff, and thence to the hole. But no 

 hole was there, and never was little animal more 

 surprised. He clung to the wall, and inspected 

 all that remained of the domiciliary aperture, first 

 with one eye, and then with the other, many times. 

 The identity of the rose-tree was questioned, but 

 found all right, and the wall was swiftly examined 

 lest peradventure the hole had moved. But there 

 was no other hole, and it became stupefyingly 

 certain that dark influences were at work. His 

 remarks were easily translated out of the blue tit 

 language. 



" Great cats 1 " he ejaculated, " what has gone 



